TWD In The Beginning
by dae.lyn.7
Summary: A pair of survivors heading to Atlanta run into the Dixon brothers and join the group of survivors at the Quarry. How will this change the sequence of events? Season 1/Season 2
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: A pair of survivors heading to Atlanta run into the Dixon brothers and join the group of survivors at the Quarry._

* * *

"Slow the fuck up, Lyn!" Cora yelled. Her voice strangled from the panic caused by their current situation and the high speeds at which they were traveling.

It was a typical sweltering southern day, if you didn't take into account the supposed 'Zombie Apocalypse' that was going on. The two girls were traveling together, trying to reach the 'safe zone' that they had heard was in Atlanta.

"Oh, please, like anybody else is crazy enough to travel by now. Everyone has probably already gone to the safe zone or holed up to wait out this madness!" Lyn replied without taking her foot off the pedal in the least.

Lyn Reese, 28-year-old Veterinarian, was of average height with waist length black hair shot through with shocking Red highlights braided and slung over her shoulder and jade eyes that darkened or lightened with her mood. Cora Maddison, 28-year-old Trust Fund Baby better known to her friends and family as CC, was the same average height as her best friend but had short choppy blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Travelling with them on their way to Atlanta was their 3 devoted canine companions: Sasha (a Maremma Sheepdog), Takeshi (a German Shepherd), and Lochesh (an English Springer Spaniel).

* * *

Walking along a congested section of highway just up the road from the oblivious girls, two rough-looking men are picking through the abandoned vehicles in search of any useful supplies. Nearby is a truck parked inconspicuously with a small Asian nervously waiting at the wheel keeping lookout while his companions conduct their search.

"Crazy people, just up and leaving all this good shit behind." Daryl, the smaller of the two men griped. "Ah well, their loss our gain! We should get a good haul of stuff just from this little area here, looks like people got out in a right hurry."

"Just hurry it up, Little Brother," Merle snarled back, "Let's just grab the shit and get back before Twitchy gets too nervous and decides to leave our asses out here. Don't know why Officer Dumb Fuck demanded we had to bring him along."

They had just finished digging through most of the cars when they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle and Glenn, their apparent driver for this trip, hollering out a warning that someone was coming. They both turned to watch the approaching vehicle as it had been several days since they'd seen any more survivors aside from the group they had joined up with at the Quarry.

* * *

Inside the approaching vehicle, Lyn was squinting her eyes to see if they were approaching more survivors or some of the monstrous cannibals that had taken over the area. CC was urging her to just keep going regardless while Lyn decided to slow to a stop.

"Lyn! We just need to get to the safe zone! Who knows what kind of people they are!"

"Shut up, we might be able to get an update on what's going on around here if we talk to them. Besides, we got the boys here and so far they don't seem to set off their instincts so we will be just fine." Lyn finally came to a stop a few feet away from the brothers and slowly got out of the vehicle with Takeshi at her side. "Stay in the car with Sash and Loch, we're gonna be just fine."

The brothers tensed up as the vehicle came to a stop but relaxed when they realized it was just a couple of women and some dogs. As one of the women stepped out with a very large, black German Shepherd at her heels, they waited as she looked them over with a considering gaze before speaking.

"Hey there. Do you guys have any news on what's been going on? It's been a few days since my friend and I heard anything new. My name's Lyn, this is Takeshi and that's my friend CC still in the car." Lyn was a bit nervous as she introduced herself to the two men but was able to hide it well behind a calm mask as Takeshi leaned firmly against her side.

"Well, well, what a pretty pair of tits we got here! Eh, brother?" Merle exclaimed while he leered and started to swagger forward. He quickly came to a halt however when the large dog at Lyn's side tensed up and gave a quiet yet intimidating growl obviously suggesting he not come any closer for the time being. "You better keep a leash on that mutt girlie, got enough shit going on without having to deal with no rabid dogs."

"Takeshi is just protective, he don't take no shit from people who are a threat to us. As long as you play nice we'll all be just fine." Lyn sneered back at the guy she was quickly growing to dislike.

Merle snorted but grinned back in a slightly more friendly way at the sassy girl, "I reckon we can play nice for now. I'm Merle and this shrimp here is my brother, Daryl. Got ourselves a little Asian chauffeur over there in the truck, goes by the name of Glenn."

Daryl dipped his chin but didn't speak and when Glenn noticed eyes on him he quickly stepped out of the truck and waved while looking around for any Walkers before walking over to join the group. Seeing that everything seemed okay, CC also exited her vehicle with Sasha and Lochesh at her heels.

"Y'all are the first people we've seen in a few days since the first insanity blew through everywhere. We're headed to the safe zone in Atlanta." Lyn said, now that everyone seemed semi-comfortable with each other.

Glenn's eyes widened in shock before he exclaimed, "You don't want to go into the city! There's nobody left except Walkers and looters. Government bombed the place trying to control the outbreak. The safe zone is no more."

"What!?" CC shouted, "but that's where all the broadcasts were telling everyone to go! How could they just blow the place up? What do we do now?!" She collapsed to the ground and was quickly sniffling into Lochesh's silky fur as the dog attempted to comfort her.

"Place got overrun, nothing else they could do." Daryl put in as he eyed the crying girl with contempt, "Like the chink said, there ain't nothing left but the dead and dangerous."

Glenn was watching the girls with concern and spoke up, "There is a group of us camped out at the Quarry just outside of town a bit further down the road here. You guys are welcome to join us if you want. Safety in numbers and all that."

Lyn stood quietly for a few minutes considering their options before she turned to her friend, "Well, what do you say, CC? Sounds like as good an option as any. Not like we had any other plans yeah?"

Sniffling, CC just shrugged her shoulders before nodding her head in agreement. It was going to take her a little while to adjust to this new reality now that the promise of safety was gone.

"Well, sounds like we're gonna be best buddies, eh girls?! You just stick with Ol' Merle and you'll be right as rain." Merle put in with an exaggerated wink. Glenn, stuttering, offered to ride with the girls to the camp as they followed the Dixon brothers in the other truck after they loaded the supplies that they managed to scavenge.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Characters introduced so far:**  
**1\. Lyn Reese - Age: 28 - Veterinarian [Inspired by Yusuf Orta on flickr, model Gulistan]**  
**2\. Cora 'CC' Maddison - Age 28 [Inspired by Hannah Spearritt/Abby Maitland on Primeval]**  
**3\. "The Boys" Sasha, Takeshi, and Lochesh**  
**(Maremma Sheepdog, German Shepherd, and English Springer Spaniel)**  
**4\. Merle Dixon [Will def. be OOC from the show because I plan on keeping him around]**  
**5\. Daryl Dixon**  
**6\. Glenn Rhee [Sorry, no Maggie in this boys future]**

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**


	2. Chapter 2

The Dixon's lead the way back to camp in their gray and white pickup with Glenn, Lyn, and CC following in Lyn's green wrangler. Glenn and CC kept up a quiet conversation while Lyn focused on following after the brothers.

When the came within sight of the camp, Lyn tensed up as she realized just how large the group of survivors was. Noticing, Glenn attempted to put her at ease, "It's fine. Everybody is pretty friendly and helpful for the most part. The Dixon brothers are probably the roughest of the bunch and you've seemed to do fine with them so far." He grinned mischievously and hopped out of the car when they came to a stop.

As the 5 people and 3 canines exited the vehicles, a crowd began to gather and stare at the strangers. The first person to break the silence was a stocky, imposing man whose stance just screamed 'Authority', "What's going on here? Who are y'all?" Before the madness of the outbreak, his attitude might not have come off as threatening but as it was, Lyn got the feeling that this guy was a major dick with tyrannical tendencies. Some people would try to tell her she was judging to soon but she'd always been a pretty good judge of a person and while Merle came across as disgusting and uncouth, she felt safer with him than this guy. It didn't help that the boys had tensed up minutely when he approached.

Seeing the calculating look in Lyn's gaze, CC took it upon herself to make the introductions this time so with a bright grin on her face she waved at the group and said, "Hi! My name is Cora, but call me CC, and this here is my friend Lyn. We were heading towards Atlanta when we ran across these gentlemen here and they convinced us that we should come up here to meet y'all instead!"

"Survivors is one thing, we can barely feed ourselves now let alone a bunch of worthless mutts. Y'all gonna have to send them on if you wanna stay here." Mr. High-and-Mighty stated with a glare.

Lyn shot his glare right back and him, "Listen here bub! Who said anything about us even staying? We just came to get some news and find out what's going on around here since the city is apparently a No Go. Anyways, these 'worthless mutts' are worth 10 of you EACH. We don't need any of your help supplying or caring for ourselves or them. They are all very well-trained and we won't 'send them on' anywhere." Taking him in with a derisive look and a sneer, she turned to CC, Glenn, and the Dixon brothers, dismissing him without another thought.

"Hoo-EE Girlie! You tell'em! I think we're going to get along just fine! Go on and get your gossip on for a bit and then feel free to bring your bunch on over to our humble little abode, could use a bit of scenery to brighten up the place," Merle laughed heartily while eyeing their chest areas so they knew exactly just what scenery he was referring to. Daryl just shook his head and walked off to what was apparently their tent without saying a thing. Merle went to follow after him when Lyn called after him, "Hey, you mind keeping an eye on our 'mutts'? I wouldn't want to upset Mr. Bigshot with them invading his space. They'll listen to whatever you tell them if I send them with you." He shrugged before nodding and continuing on his way.

She looked down at the dogs and pointed after him, simply saying "Follow." They did as she told them and then she and CC looked around at the crowd that was still slightly milling about and deciding to go find out what they could.

Glenn, who had stayed next to CC, lead them around to make introductions.

"This here is Dale. He drives that RV over there. He showed up with Andrea and Amy here, they are sisters." Amy responded with a hello and friendly grin while her sister, Andrea, just nodded and gave them a suspicious look. Dale shook hands with both girls and welcomed them to the camp.

"Next up we have T-Dog, Jacqui, and Jim. They came in together also. I think they hid in a mechanic shop before they made their way to the group." Jim was a bit standoff-ish but T-Dog and Jacqui were welcoming to the two girls and offered to help them out any way they could.

He pointed out a little family of 3 that hadn't joined the first crowd, "That's the Peletiers: Ed, Carol, and their daughter Sophia. Carol and Sophia are really nice but Ed is meaner than a snake so I'd try to steer clear of him if I was you."

"That's the Morales family over there, it's nice to see some families have made it together this far." he stated with a sad smile before finally leading them over to the last bunch of people, which included Office Fuck Face from before.

"Shane, Lori, this is Lyn and CC. They're alright girls so you don't have to worry or anything. Girls, this is Shane and Lori and the kid is Carl." The two groups stood close eyeing each other before Lori nudged Shane in the side and he coughed self-consciously, stepping up to greet and apologize to the newcomers.

"Listen, I'm -uh- sorry about how I came across before. It's just been a real tough few weeks, I hope you understand. You're welcome to stay here if you want, you and your dogs."

Lyn just kept a narrow-eyed look on him while CC decided to try to help mend the bridge for now, "No hard feelings, I'm sure if we were in your place we may well have acted exactly the same way. Lots of people's pets would be pretty useless in this environment I'm sure. We lucked out with some damn good dogs though. The white one is Sasha, he is specially trained in being a guard dog. The black German Shepherd is Takeshi, he's gone through tactical training for the military. Lochesh is the black and white speckled one, he's been trained to hunt and track along with acting as a guide dog for the disabled. Lyn here is, err...was, a Vet and she has a habit of fostering and adopting all kinds of animals. We were roommates before all this and have been best friends for most of our lives."

"Well," Lori finally stepped up, "It's nice to meet y'all and welcome to the camp. If you want to stay just know that everybody pitches in to help and pulls their own share. Why don't we let you get settled in somewhere and we can all chat a bit more over dinner later on."

Glenn introduced them to a few more people milling about as they headed back towards the Dixon brothers and their vehicle. Halfway there he split off with a grin and "See you guys at dinner!" and made his way over to the RV group.

* * *

Finally arriving back at the designated 'Dixon zone' of the camp, the girls sat down on the ground by the little fire pit and watched the brothers interact with their boys while they soaked in the information they had learned and thought about what their next move would be.

"Well, what did you think of everybody Lyn? You're a way better judge of people than me. Feel free to throw out your breakdown of everybody. I saw that calculating look in your eye so don't even deny you haven't already got every one of those people pegged already." CC declared while nudging her friend in the side.

"I..." Lyn started but got interrupted by Merle. "Good judge of people, eh? Well, don't be shy girl! Let's hear if you've got that bunch figured out right. Me and little bro here been here with them pretty much since we all settled so I can tell you if you're on the money or not." She glanced at him, expecting mischief but found only a friendly enough look of seriousness on his face.

"Alright, if you really want to know, here goes... I'm going to go in reverse of how we got introduced I suppose:  
Shane, Lori, and Carl... They interact kind of like a family but something doesn't completely click so I don't know if that's right. Maybe just close friends? I got nothing on Carl but his Mom, from the tiny bit she spoke and the looks she was throwing around, strikes me as the Queen Bee type. Which makes her the perfect partner for Shane I suppose in that he comes across as Mr. Boss so I'd assume that those two run, or at least attempt to run, this camp like they are the supreme rulers. I don't like either of them and wouldn't trust them further than I could throw them.  
The Morales family was only pointed out, not actually introduced so I have nothing there yet. They didn't look like bad people.  
The Peletiers also weren't personally introduced but from the look I got and Glenn's statement, Ed is probably controlling and abusive which pretty much cancels out any feelings I could get on his wife and daughter because they are too far under his thumb now to consider them in their own right.  
Jacqui and T-Dog are friendly enough. That guy, Jim, however makes me a little cautious. It might be that he's just having a hard time with all that is going on but it could also be something else. I am reserving judgment on him for now.  
Amy is a peppy little thing, it doesn't seem like all this madness has really set in for her yet. That's probably because her older sister is shielding her though. Andrea...bitch is the word the immediately comes to mind for her. We'll see if that changes but that's really the only vibe I'm getting off her at the moment. Dale seems like the friendly grandfather type who tries to adopt everyone and I can envision him having a set of morals that he will try to Jiminy Cricket on anybody that he can, whether he welcomed to or not.  
Glenn is adorable and strikes me as the resourceful type. I've got nothing bad to say about him.  
That brings us to the illustrious Dixon brothers here...redneck, uncouth, mouth-y bastards but I have a sneaking suspicion that if we want anybody at our backs out of all these people, they're the ones." she finished off with a smirk directed at the brothers.

"Not too shabby, I'd say you're pretty spot on for everybody." Merle agreed with a nod and a wink. "Now, hows about y'all tell us a bit about yourselves? If we're going to live next door to each other than we might as well."

"I suppose that's the least we could do since you seem to have adopted us, eh?" Lyn grinned, "I'm Lyn and this here is my roommate Cora but as she's said, she usually just goes by CC. I was a veterinarian before all this hoopla broke out and these three brutes we have traveling with us are: *points to each in turn* Sasha, he's a Maremma Sheepdog and is both trained and naturally inclined to being a guard dog, Takeshi, he's a German Shepherd with tactical Military training, and Lochesh is an English Springer Spaniel that's trained in hunting and tracking. I picked them up among some of the animals that I have fostered over the years and fell in love so we adopted them."

Daryl perked up when he heard about the various training the dogs had gone through, "Hunting and tracking huh? I do most of the grub providing around here by going out everyday hunting up what I can. Do you think he might listen if I took him out with me?"

"Sure, but you better make sure you bring him back in one piece or I'll sic Kesh on your ass. Loch would probably love to get out and do stuff like that, I'm not much of a hunter myself so he could use the activity."

"I don't suppose y'all got a spare tent or anything that we could borrow? We've really just been sleeping in the car these last few days since we left home." CC pulled out the puppy eyes while she pleaded, "I would _love_ to stretch out somewhere that isn't a passenger seat!"

"Yeah, Merle and I been sharing but I have my own stashed in the back of the truck over there. We can help y'all set it up after a bit if you want. Gotta couple hours til Girl Scout Campfire time starts anyways."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Characters introduced:**  
**1\. Dale Horvath**  
**2\. Amy &amp; Andrea [I'm toying with the idea of somehow keeping Amy but I haven't really settled on anything for certain]**  
**3\. Jim**  
**4\. T-Dog**  
**5\. Jacqui**  
**6\. Ed, Carol and Sophia Peletier [I'm planning on trying to keep Sophia alive depending on how the storyline flows]**  
**7\. The Morales family**  
**8\. Shane Walsh, Lori &amp; Carl Grimes [I hate both Shane and Lori, I think I'm going to keep them paired up even if/when Rick comes back into the picture. That whole BS just pissed me off and I always thought he was better off without her]**

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**


	3. Chapter 3

A few days passed after the girls joined up with the quarry camp. They got to know some of their new companions a little better, especially the Dixon brothers and Glenn. Daryl, the younger Dixon, and Lochesh were bonding together into a good hunting pair. The amount of game brought back on his forays into the forest had nearly tripled. Merle had taken a shine to Takeshi and they could often be seen lounging together throughout the day while Sasha was sticking close to CC while wandered around camp socializing.

Daryl and Loch were out hunting one day when Glenn approached the small group and stated the plans for a group scavenging trip into the city. Lyn and Merle, who were both going a little stir crazy being stuck in camp for so long, immediately volunteered to go and take Kesh along for added security. CC opted to stay at camp with Sasha to wait for Daryl and let him know where the others had gone.

"Great! I was a little worried about who all was going to go when Shane brought up the suggestion for a group trip but I'm sure you guys can help me keep the others in line and hopefully safe. I'm more of a 'solo player' you could say when it comes to things like this, I'm not real sure taking a big group is a great idea but we'll see how it goes." Glen responded, "We're getting around and we're going to leave in the next 30 minutes or so. Jacqui, T-Dog, Andrea, and Morales have volunteered to come too. We're going to take two vehicles a little closer to the city before we hike the rest of the way in, less noise hopefully means we can attract less walkers."

"Sounds like you'll need all the help you can get with that bunch of dead weight." Merle snorted disdainfully. "Whatever, we'll see y'all in a bit."

Nearly an hour later, after tearful goodbyes and wishes of good luck, the group finally departed for the city. Lyn, Merle, Glenn, and Takeshi in the Dixon's truck while the other 4 followed in the Morales vehicle.

* * *

In the city, the group had split up to scavenge some of the stores. Lyn, Merle, and Takeshi were together hitting the Pharmacy and Sporting Goods stores. Jacqui, T-Dog, Andrea, and Morales opted to stick together and search a good-sized department store, while Glenn kept a lookout between the two groups from a fire escape on a building midway between their locations.

While he was keeping watch, he was suddenly distracted by a mad spatter of gunshots and the screaming of what sounded like some large animal. Scanning the area with his binoculars, he spotted a pair of horses being shredded by a large group of walkers and three people scrambling to take refuge in an abandoned tank on the street. After some thought, he drew a deep breath to steady his nerves and attempted to hail the newcomers on the radio.

30 insane minutes later, Glenn and his trio of rescues were finally free of the tank walkers and making their way to the department store to meet up with the rest of the group. He hoped that Merle and Lyn were back from their foray because he just knew that the others were going to throw a fit when they found out he'd picked up more survivors and made a scene in the process and he would need their support.

Thankfully, the group was together when the four men made their way into the department store, including Lyn and Merle. As he expected, the other 4 were not so welcoming to the newcomers while Merle and Lyn merely nodded their heads and greeted them amicably.

Andrea, the most vocal of the four, berated Glenn loudly, "You are kidding! We're dead! Did you not hear all the noise they made? They've killed us with their actions and you bring them straight back here?! You should have just left them so that the monsters would be occupied and we had a fighting chance of getting back. I have Amy to think about!"

"Shut up, Blondie! Damn, and I thought y'all said I was the bastard of the group. We're still alive and we'll make it out just fine as long as you keep quiet and let the Geeks pass." Merle exclaimed before walking off with Takeshi at his side, mumbling "Worthless Bitch..."

* * *

Back at camp, CC and Amy were attempting to keep their minds from stressing over the danger their family and friends were probably in by chatting about anything and everything 'pre-Apocalypse' that they could think of. They paused their conversation when Lori approached them looking like she had something to say.

"Hey, Lori, how are you doing?" Amy smiled

"I'm alright, Amy, how about you? Worried about your sister I guess. She'll be fine you know, Glenn has made several successful runs into town since we started camping out up here." Lori replied, "Actually, I was hoping to speak to CC, do you think you could give us a minute?"

Looking at her a little suspiciously and then back at CC for a nod that it was alright, she stood up to walk off, "Sure, I can go see how Dale is fairing working on that RV of his I guess."

"So...Lori, to what do I owe this pleasure? You've been fairly avoiding of Lyn and I since we got here." CC jumped right in, not trusting or liking the woman at all after the few days they had spent together so far.

"Well, there's just something that Shane and I were a little concerned about and now seemed a good time to bring it up." Lori stated.

"Well spit it out already, you've got me waiting on bated breath." CC sniped.

Lori shifted uncomfortably before she started speaking again, "We're a little worried about the company you girls seem to keep since joining the group here. The Dixon brothers are bad men and we don't want to see you all hurt."

With a snarl and look of disbelief, CC leaped up from her sitting position that she had retained at the start of the conversation and verbally went after the Queen B with a vengeance, "You...are a Bitch." This garnered a sharp gasp and widened eyes from her target. "Those 'bad men' you seem intent on warning me about now not only have been very good to Lyn and I but they do most of the supplying of food for this whole camp. You should just be grateful for them! They might a little rough but I don't know where you get off coming up to me and making horrid insinuations about them when it seems to me you haven't even spent enough time to make an accurate representation of their character. I'd suggest you walk away now and refrain from bad mouthing my friends to me in the future. You're just a drama causing attention whore and I have no want to waste my time with someone like you!" Before Lori could pull herself together to respond, CC stalked off to find Amy and effectively ended the conversation.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Characters introduced:**  
**1\. Rick Grimes**  
**2\. Morgan &amp; Duane Jones [I really liked these two so I decided to keep them!]**

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**


	4. Chapter 4

The Atlanta scavenging group had decided to cut their trip short after acquiring 3 new survivors who introduced themselves as Rick Grimes and Morgan and Duane Jones. Currently, they were watching a growing horde of walkers amass outside of the building they were hiding in and wondering how they would be able to escape.

After some brainstorming, it they decided that attempting to camouflage themselves might be their best bet at escape and so Merle and Rick took down 4 walkers that stuck in a back room of the building they were in and dragged them back to the group that were waiting near the loading docks. The plan was for 3 of them, Glenn, Rick, and Merle, to cover themselves in the blood and remains of the dead walkers and then attempt to sneak past the mob outside to retrieve a vehicle that could carry everyone and hopefully the supplies they had managed to gather back to their vehicles and then on to the camp.

* * *

Two hours later saw the triumphant return of the group and their new additions back at Camp Quarry much to the relief of those who had remained behind to wait for them. They had managed to secure a box truck to escape the department store and even got all the pilfered supplies loaded up.

When Rick stepped out from the driver's seat of the box truck, he took a few minutes to look around in awe at the number of survivors in the camp before he broke out of his reverie by the shout of "DAD!" Looking around he saw his son, Carl, sprinting towards him. He collapsed to his knees and crushed his son to him in a hug before they both broke down in tears. Morgan was standing close by, clutching his own son to him with a big grin on his face after realizing what was going on and happy that his friend was getting his happy ending in spite of the overwhelming odds that he had faced.

Shane and Lori approached the pair together, hands clasped, with an air of reluctance. When Rick finally looked up and noticed his wife and best friend, it only took him a moment to see the dynamics of the pair. Hurt but glad to see they were alive, he walked up to them and gave them both hugs. "Rick..." Lori started, but he hushed her quickly, "You thought I was dead. I won't admit that it doesn't hurt but I can kind of understand where you were coming from and we both know that even before I got shot we were growing apart. Right now let's just enjoy the fact that we somehow managed to find each other in all this and we can talk about everything else later, in private." She nodded and they finally broke apart to join the rest of the group who had congregated nearby to watch what they thought would be a dramatic scene unfold.

* * *

At dinner around the campfire later that evening, the new group members finally got around to sharing the story of how they had managed to survive so far. Most were sympathetic to the Joneses plight and amazed at Rick's story. The end of the world is a hell of a thing to wake up to after being in an extended coma.

The next day was quieter, with only a few things happening to break up the monotony that the camp was settling into. Daryl returned from his extended hunt with Lochesh, trailing a deer that was sadly chewed up by a walker just outside of camp. Ed got his ass handed to him by an irate Shane after he hit his wife and nearly went after some of the other women while they were doing laundry.

The decently quiet day got torn to shreds not long after dinner, however, when a herd of walkers stumbled into the camp and reminded everyone just how different things were in the new world. They had gotten complacent in their peaceful little area but the screams and moans of the dying and dead gave the group a wake-up call and sparked the decision to finally move on.

Several members of the group died in the hysteria of the 'attack', including Carol's husband Ed, the quiet Jim, and Amy's sister Andrea. Dale and Amy huddled together on the steps of the RV mourning her loss together while the rest of the survivors took care of burning and burying the corpses. Carol and Sophia seemed torn between grief that their husband and father was dead and relief that they would no longer be living under his stifling grip.

After dealing with the aftermath of the massacre, the survivors gathered together to discuss their options and where they would be going next.

"I say we try for Fort Benning!" was Shane's repeated advice, Lori nodding along from her seat next to him. "If anybody will be up to surviving this mess, it's the military. I don't see any reason to haul a whole bunch of people on some wild goose chase for a cure deeper into the city. The risk of that trek just isn't worth it!"

"The CDC is closer and, risk or not, we need some answers! This thing is obviously not blowing over and that is our best chance to find out what's going on. There is most likely a military presence there too and it's a lot closer than Fort Benning. If necessary, we can head to Fort Benning after we find out all we can from the CDC." Rick argued.

In the end, most of the group opted to travel to the CDC. The Morales family decided they would rather strike out on their own and attempt to find relatives that also may have survived.

* * *

The wagon-train set-up:

1973 D-27C Winnebago Chieftain – driven by Dale – passengers: Amy, Carol, and Sophia

1992 Ford E-350 – driven by Rick – passengers: Morgan, Duane, and Carl

1973 Ford F-250 – driven by Daryl – passengers: Merle

1979 Jeep Cherokee SJ – driven by T-Dog – passengers: Jacqui

1987 Jeep Wrangler YJ – driven by Shane – passengers: Lori

2012 Jeep Wrangler – driven by Lyn – passengers: CC, Glenn, and 'The Boys'

* * *

**A/N:**

**Characters removed:**  
**1\. Ed Peletier – death by Walker**  
**2\. Jim – death by Walker**  
**3\. Andrea – death by Walker**  
**4\. The Morales Family – split from group**

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**


	5. Chapter 5

After a fairly uneventful trip, minus the brief period where Dale's RV broke down and they had to cannibalize the box truck for repair parts and juggle around who was riding in what vehicles, the group of survivors finally made it to their destination.

The relief that the group was feeling upon reaching the CDC quickly gave way to worry when they got out of the vehicles and found themselves surrounded by abandoned vehicles, weapons, and corpses. There was not a single living person in sight.

Nervously, they made their way to the building itself to find a way in and see if there were any survivors inside. Lyn, Glenn, CC, and The Boys made their way closer to the Dixon brothers. Pulling them aside, Lyn asked "I have a bad feeling about this place, and that's not even talking about the ruined atmosphere out here. I don't think that is going to improve by going inside. Can you guys help me keep track of the boys? I'll keep Sasha with me if one of you can take Takeshi and Lochesh."

They both agreed and Merle replied, "I'll take Kesh and Daryl here can keep Loch. Works out, as that's how we've broken them up to get used to following our commands anyways. Don't you worry about a thing, darling." Lyn just grinned back at them before falling silent while they waited for some sign of a way into the building.

Rick and Shane were arguing over the decision to come to what was obviously a dead-end, and getting steadily louder, when suddenly Takeshi perked up and growled a bit at 3 men who had just walked into the area loaded down with bags and guns. One of the bags was very familiar to Rick and he immediately cut Shane off to deal with the newly perceived threat.

"Hold on up there. What's your business around here?"

The three men held their hands up in submission, "Easy ese! We're just trying to find some help. Same as you I would imagine. We don't mean any harm."

"Where did you get that bag? The one with all the guns?" Rick responded, relaxing a bit but not completely.

"I found it laying on the street in the city. With all the monsters running around, firepower is a necessity you know." the smallest man replied.

"I dropped that bag my first day in the city. I know exactly what's in there. Keep your guns aimed down if you truly mean no harm. As for help, that's why we came here but so far it doesn't look too promising. We were just trying to find a way inside when you walked up. My name's Rick, what's yours?"

"I'm Guillermo, this here is Miguel and Felipe. We been holing up at a local nursing home but it finally got run over a few days ago so we figured there wasn't much to lose by trying to come here," the 'leader' of the little trio stated.

While Rick and the Guillermo were introducing themselves, Shane watched on in suspicion and the rest of the group continued to find a way into the building while keeping one eye on the conversation. CC was the one who finally noticed one of the security cameras over the main door moving to pan over the group. She quickly hollered for attention and started waving her arms and shouting at the camera to let them inside. Rick came over to check out the camera sceptically but just when they were ready to decide that maybe it had been a hopeful trick of her eyes, the door started to open and light streamed out blinding the group.

* * *

Dr. Edwin Jenner stood in the doorway aiming a gun at the group at large and ordering them to hurry inside if they planned to join, otherwise they would be locked outside with no other chances to enter. A disagreement ensued over whether the dogs would be allowed but he ended up bowing to the wishes of the intimidating Dixon brothers and preceded the group back into the bowels of the building.

In order to stay in the building, Jenner asserted that they would all have to submit to a blood test to make sure that nobody was hiding signs the virus. Everyone agreed to this stipulation easily enough and followed the doctor down to a lab to get the testing over.

After the testing handled, the group took advantage of the canteen area to gorge on a meal as food had been scarce for a while and everyone was hungry. Food, drinks, and laughter was in abundance as everyone wound down from the constant vigilance that they had been in since the attack at the quarry. Eventually, however, the merriment had to come to an end when Shane broached the purpose for their trip with Jenner.

"I'm the only one left here. I'm sorry you've come all this way only to find me. While we were attempting to figure out what was going on, when it started to get really bad most of the people here either left to go to their families, ran in fear, or even 'opted out'. If you want, I can show you what little we were able to find out after breakfast tomorrow," a subdued Jenner quickly rose and left the room after he spoke.

Everyone slowly trickled out after that to take advantages of showers and beds, feeling safe for the moment despite the anxiety of what they may find out the next day.

* * *

Daryl and Merle found a room together after getting in a long shower, they even managed to get the dogs scrubbed up. Daryl had offered to let Lyn take them with her but she claimed that the feeling of unease she upon arriving at the CDC had eased up and she would feel better if they just kept watching them for now.

"Don't think I didn't notice you and that girl making eyes at each other over dinner, baby brother." Merle hooted while he watched a flush steal over Daryl's face. "You going to man up and do something or just keep pussy-footing around her?"

"Shut up, Merle," was the only response Daryl gave before rolling over and ignoring anything else that he said.

Little did they know that just down the hall a similar conversation was taking place in the room being shared by CC and Lyn. Both Daryl and Lyn would have pleasant dreams that night thinking about what their roommates were implying and remembering the shared looks over dinner.

* * *

Breakfast the next morning was a rushed affair, as everyone was more than ready to get some answers to all the questions that they had. Jenner gave them an overview of all that he knew, including video evidence of the process that occurred from the time an individual was bit to the time that they turned. Hope was a dying flame the longer that Jenner answered their questions.

It was Dale who noticed a timer up on the wall and asked a last question about it. Jenner's response of 'system-wide decontamination' sparked off a panic when they realized what he meant. At first, Jenner locked everyone in together to wait out their fate but the pleas of most of the group convinced him to let them out so that they could have a fighting chance if that was what they decided to do. Everyone scrambled to grab what supplies they could before making their way out of the building. Jacqui was the only one who opted to stay behind and end things with Dr. Jenner.

Just before the building went up in flames, everyone bailed into vehicles to make their escape before regrouping down the road. With the CDC a literal dead-end, decisions needed made as to where the group planned to go next.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Characters introduced:**  
**1\. Dr. Edwin Jenner**  
**2\. Felipe, Guillermo, and Miguel [I really liked these guys so I decided to keep them around! Hmm...G/Maggie? Miguel/Beth? Felipe/Amy? Something to ponder...]**

**Characters removed:**  
**1\. Dr. Edwin Jenner – death by 'Opt Out'**  
**2\. Jacqui – death by 'Opt Out'**

**I bet you thought I forgot about that bag of guns and the vatos didn't you?! Merle wasn't abandoned so they didn't need to go back into the city, meaning the vatos had no competition for retrieving the guns (except for the walkers, of course).**

**We have a veterinarian and a nurse now, things are looking up a bit for the group as far as useful members!**

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**


	6. Chapter 6

The group traveled for nearly an hour before gas levels forced them to stop at a small town. They lucked out with finding a number of abandoned vehicles, a mechanics shop, and various other homes and buildings that appeared to have escaped heavy scavenging and looting so far.

Lori, Carol, Sasha and the kids stayed at the vehicles along with Dale and Felipe while the rest of the group spread out to gather what supplies they could find. Guillermo, Miguel, and Glenn headed straight for the mechanic shop with Amy tagging along so that she could learn what parts would be useful. Since the death of her sister, a subdued Amy was clinging tightly to Dale and vehicle repair was an activity that he felt was both useful and that he was knowledgeable enough to do a little teaching in. They both needed the distraction working with their hands to keep the thoughts from overwhelming their minds. T-Dog, Rick, Morgan and Shane began siphoning what fuel they could from the abandoned cars in the area. Rick and Shane were quietly arguing over the decisions that led to going to the CDC and whether they would be trying for Fort Benning next. Lyn, CC, and the Dixon brothers head off to search the houses and other buildings for food and other supplies. Lyn and Daryl paired off with Lochesh to search one side of each street while CC and Merle took the other side with Takeshi.

* * *

"A nursing home seems an odd place for fellows like yourself to have holed up. Any particular reason you ended up there?" Dale, nosy as ever, struck up a conversation as they kept an eye on their surroundings for any trouble.

"I guess we probably look like lay about thugs to you, huh? Actually, mi abuela was a resident there and both Guillermo and I worked there. I'm a registered nurse and G was one of the janitors. Miguel is my baby cousin. It was luck, I guess, that Miguel was there visiting when the crazy really started. We fortified the place best we could and then other relatives of the residents started to trickle in and we beefed it up even more. It was a good setup while it lasted but eventually the geeks must have caught wind of us and a large group of them overwhelmed us."

"I'm sorry about your grandmother," Dale replied to Felipe's explanation, "I lost my wife before all this happened but a death is still a death and it hurts to lose those you love."

Felipe just nodded in response and they lapsed into silence.

* * *

At the mechanics shop, Guillermo and Glenn were quickly snatching up everything they thought they could use while Miguel and Amy followed along, with Miguel explaining various bits and bobs as they came across them.

"Belts are one of those things that commonly break on most vehicles. Can't go wrong grabbing a few spare of these for when something breaks down."

"What about hoses? Do you think they'll have any of those here? A hose is the part that Dale was having trouble with on his RV. We managed to find a replacement but I have no idea how often he needs to replace stuff like that." Amy responded.

"They probably have some but I don't know if they'd have any for an RV, we'll grab a few and you can check with him when we get back. I can take a look too and if we didn't get any that match I'll remember for next time we get the chance." Miguel grinned at her. She was a bit older than him but didn't give him a hard time even though they hadn't been with the group very long, so he was harboring a tiny crush at the moment.

* * *

T-Dog and Morgan were busily siphoning cars and trying to ignore the increasingly noisy argument that was taking place just a few feet away between the two former Sheriff's deputies.

"It was stupid! You put all of us at risk and we nearly died all for a bit of information that wasn't worth beans! I told you from the start that we should have headed for Fort Benning. We're lucky we came across this area to fuel up and find more supplies otherwise we would be sunk after that goose chase you took us on!" Shane was furious and barely listening to any rebuttals that Rick was trying to make. "What about Lori and Carl? Their safety should come first for you, even if you and Lori aren't together anymore. It's time to man up, brother."

"I understand where you're coming from but I felt, and I still feel, that going to the CDC was the right thing to do. Information is important and there is no guarantee that the Benning is any better off than the CDC was. You saw the ruins of the military blockade that they had going on and you heard what Jenner said about people going AWOL, I doubt the base was immune to those feelings. It's done now anyways, we'll try for Fort Benning as soon as we're all stocked up." Rick replied before turning his back and effectively ending the discussion.

* * *

"Takeshi, Clear!" Merle ordered, as he opened another front door that he had jimmied open.

"You're really good with him. How do you know the commands that he'll respond to?" CC asked from her place leaning against the side of the house casually.

"I was in the military for a few years, been around a few tactical dogs. I figured from what your girlfriend said that he was military trained so should know the same commands," he responded. "Come to think of it, Lyn was a vet but I don't think it has ever come up what you did before all this."

Chuckling a bit, CC replied, "I didn't do much. I was what most people refer to as a trust fund baby. I've taken a few random courses over the years but nothing has ever struck my fancy to actually full-on pursue."

Merle snorted and shook his head as he walked into the house that Takeshi had cleared. "Humph, must have been nice. I wouldn't have pegged you for a rich bum considering you don't shy away from any work you get assigned with the group but I guess you never can tell with some people."

* * *

"You know, I don't think we ever really thanked you and your brother for letting us join up with you guys. Who knows where CC and I would be now if we hadn't found you."

Daryl and Lyn were a street over from Merle and CC bagging up canned food and various clothes. They had lucked out a couple of houses back when they found several bags of dog food and other pet supplies that they set out to come back and grab in one of the vehicles.

"It's not necessary, but you're welcome." Daryl replied, "I'm sure y'all would have managed somehow. So, any family y'all hope to meet up with in the future? Y'all never really talked much about that, made me a bit curious."

Lyn hummed lowly, "Not particularly. We were fairly independent even before all this happened so we didn't have a lot to do with either of our families. I didn't get along with my folks and CC just had a brother and sister that were nearby. We did stop by their places before we headed to Atlanta but didn't see any sign of them. Whatever happened to them, they are long gone and didn't bother stopping by our place to see how we were so we figure if we run into them someday, good, if not, oh well. I suppose that seems a bit cold to most people but it works for us. What about your family? Is it just you and Merle?"

"Yeah, not that it was worth much to begin with but it's just been the two of us for a long time anyways."

* * *

Three hours of scavenging the town, clearing some walkers stumbled across, and several trips back to the vehicles, the group finally got together to discuss the plan of what to do next and get on the road. Aside from the wish for somewhere safe, nobody had any real destination in mind so they decided to continue on towards Fort Benning in the hopes that they would find something better than what they had at the CDC. With vehicles gassed up and supplies restocked, it seemed like the trip would be fairly straight forward. Everyone kept their fingers mentally crossed as they split into the vehicles and started to travel.

* * *

Sadly, the trip was not as simple as the group had hoped. The roads along the way were impossibly clogged with abandoned vehicles and it was slow going trying to find a route that all the vehicles could fit through. Forty-five minutes of stop and go movement found the group at a standstill as they came upon a traffic jam that would keep the RV from going any further unless they backtracked quite a ways or managed to move some of the obstacles.

Everyone got out to lend a hand, either with attempting to move the parked cars or digging through them for more supplies. Lori, at first, was reluctant to go through the belongings and wreckage, many of which contained corpses of those who didn't manage to escape but she was quickly outvoted. Lyn voiced the last opinion that swayed the rest into moving to scavenge, "It's not like they are using any of the stuff anymore. There's no point in letting all this go to waste when we, the living, could sorely use anything we can find. We don't know what will happen from day-to-day out here anymore, one item that we find could be the thing that saves our lives."

* * *

It happened suddenly, Dale was on the top of the RV keeping lookout when he spotted what he thought was a single walker but soon turned it was a whole herd of walkers. Hiding places in and under vehicles were hurriedly scurried into in the hopes that they would just pass on by without taking notice of the group. There wasn't a chance that the herd could be taken out without casualties among the living.

Just as the herd was nearly by, one of the last walkers tripped over some debris on the ground near the truck that Sophia and Duane were hiding under. With a shriek, Sophia scrambled out on the other side, followed by Duane, and they dashed off into the woods in a panicked escape attempt. The walker, and three others who were still close enough to notice the commotion, chased the children as Lori and Carol screamed for them to come back and for help from other members of the group. Rick, Morgan, and Guillermo took off into the woods to save the children.

The remaining members of the group were returning to the area by the RV to take a count of any injuries received and to decide whether anyone else should attempt to go into the woods after those that had already gone or just wait on continue with what they were doing until the others returned.

T-Dog had slashed his arm wide open on a scrap of metal when he tried to hide from the group of walkers and was bleeding all over the ground. As he collapsed on the ground next to one of the trucks, Felipe and Lyn ran over to him with a bag of medical supplies that they had liberated back in the town and quickly got started stitching him up. Luckily, along with the well-stocked first aid kit they had managed to pilfer a number of prescription antibiotics that would hopefully keep any infection from taking root.

The minutes ticked by while the group waited anxiously near the vehicles for a sign of any of those who had gone into the forest to return.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I get a little frustrated trying to write this. It's so much harder to write than it seems when reading other people's work! I give mad props to all authors and fic writers in the world. Please don't hate me for any excessively wonky stuff that I do in my writing. I'm totally not (nor will I ever be) a 'real' author. I'm just doing this for my enjoyment in the end. **

**Thank you to those of you so far who have followed and favorited this fic! It gives me a happy feeling to know that others have an interest in this dabbling I am doing even a bit. Cooky Crumbla, hideher, reamane21, HeartMachine, APeaceOfOfPieForEverybody011 (wow...that is a mouthful of a name you have there!), JulesLillianTellar, Soaring Hawk1, izzyswan41, gostcat, Purple Dragon Ranger, and Ariella81. Much love to y'all and I hope you enjoy this at least a bit as I continue on. **

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**


	7. Chapter 7

Just before sunset, the survivors waiting anxiously near the vehicles heard someone approaching from the woods. Carol stood up wringing her hands together, hoping that it was Sophia returning. Morgan and Duane appeared without the other three.

"Where's Sophia?! My daughter! What happened? Where are the others? Did you find her? Where is she?"

Shaking his head, Morgan replied, "She and Duane split up not too long after they got into the woods. I found Duane stuck up a tree with one of the walkers clawing to get at him below. Once I took him out we headed straight back here. Rick and G followed after Sophia, I don't know what happened to them after we split. I'm sorry. I'm sure they found her and she is fine."

With a distraught sob, Carol collapsed on the ground. Lori and CC gathered around her to try to give her what comfort that they could. Sasha nosed his way into Carol's arms and she clung tightly to him.

* * *

It was the next morning before Rick and Guillermo returned. They came straggling out of the woods looking strained and exhausted. On Guillermo's back, Sophia was sound asleep. She wore torn and bloodied clothes but aside from a few scratches she appeared unharmed.

CC was the first to spot them after Sasha stood staring into the woods. "Oh, thank goodness you're back! And you found her! Are you all okay? Nobody bit?"

Carol heard the commotion and darted outside to grab up her daughter who had startled awake at the sound of CC's voice. "MOMMY!" "Sophia! Baby!"

As everyone else emerged from where they had been lightly resting, Rick explained what had happened and why they were gone so long. Apparently, Sophia was extremely quick on her feet and had gone a fair distance before being forced to hide in the roots of a large tree from the remaining walkers that were still chasing her. The men happened finally happened upon her and were able to take out the walkers by bashing their skulls in with some large branches that had lain around.

The groups relief was a near physical presence. Hugs passed around freely and finally they were able to regroup and prepare to continue once they moved enough vehicles out-of-the-way to allow their caravan to pass.

* * *

It took most of the day to clear a path for the vehicles to go through and the sun was setting as they started on their way. Just a few miles down the highway, they lucked upon a turnoff with signs for a few farms and decided that they would try to find shelter for the night that wasn't the back seats and benches of their vehicles before continuing towards Fort Benning.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I do not own TWD or any characters/storyline affiliated with it. Lyn, CC, and "The Boys" are mine but I'm not stingy. I'm not making nor planning to make any money off of this, it's just for myself to have a little fun with the show.**

**Apologies for any grammar mistakes, I'm writing this up in WordPad and I can't find any spell/grammar check function! You'll just have to use your imagination for the various accents characters should have as I wouldn't even know where to begin how to butcher the writing to showcase that.**

* * *

**A/N:**

**This was a teeny tiny chapter, sorry if I got your hopes up. I'm a bit stuck with where I want to go from here and how I want to do it.**

Characters Currently in Group:  
Lyn Reese (OC)  
CC Maddison (OC)  
"The Boys" (OCs)  
Daryl &amp; Merle Dixon  
Glenn Rhee  
Dale Horvath  
Amy  
T-Dog  
Carol &amp; Sophia Peletier  
Shane Walsh  
Rick, Lori &amp; Carl Grimes  
Morgan &amp; Duane Jones  
Felipe, Guillermo &amp; Miguel

Current Pairings: Shane/Lori

Prospective Pairngs: _Feedback is welcome on these possibilities!_  
Rick/Carol  
Merle/Michonne  
Daryl/Lyn  
Glenn/CC  
Guillermo/Maggie  
Miguel/Beth

Excess Kept Characters: _Feedback welcome!_  
Sophia Peletier – I've kept her for now, should I continue to keep her? I like how Carol has evolved in the show and I think a lot of that was due to the loss of Sophia.  
Duane Jones – I kept him but I don't really know what to do with him so I'm debating sacrificing him just to 'cull the herd' a bit. Sorry, Morgan!


End file.
